That being the case, Manchester City’s bid to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan for the rest of the season was canceled as it was not a good deal for Newcastle United.
This is the view inside St James’ Park. After weeks of talks, the Newcastle hierarchy feel it does not make financial sense to sign Phillips. Not on the terms currently offered to them. The loan fee is very high and they do not like the idea that they will have to purchase in the summer months.
This doesn’t mean the deal is dead or that talks can’t continue, but it needs to be revived and City have yet to act.
There is some hope that this will change as we get closer to deadline day, but it is impossible to say with certainty that Phillips will be a Newcastle player before the window closes.
Newcastle had initially been encouraged to believe a deal for Phillips with City could be easily achieved this month. The England international had openly expressed his desire to leave the team during the international break in November because he did not have enough playing time under Pep Guardiola.
In response, the City manager admitted that he could not find a place for the 28-year-old player in his first team plans. The perception was that City would help Phillips find a suitable club to enable him to play more regularly, and Phillips was keen on the idea of a transfer to Newcastle.
But most importantly, Phillips is not keen to leave and City are able to honor their demands to release him on loan for a fee of £7m.
This is a huge amount to sign a player for just five months and Newcastle, constrained by Profit and Sustainability rules, will not pay such a high amount for a player on loan.
They also don’t want to spend £40m of their summer budget if there is a need to buy, especially as they would already have to pay Chelsea £28m to turn Lewis Hall’s loan deal into a long-term deal. June.
This led to a stalemate and Newcastle were frustrated by the lack of flexibility in City’s stance.
By contrast, City are confident they can find another club willing to pay the money they want this month, despite having scared off Italian giants Juventus.
Newcastle will return to Phillips if the situation changes and remain “active in the market” if the right player is found, but sources paint a bleak picture of their recruitment plans.
Meanwhile, Newcastle midfielder Issac Hayden is in talks to join Championship side Preston North End after cutting short his loan move to Standard Liege in Belgium.
Not signing anyone is risky but Newcastle refuse to get ripped off
Newcastle United are in danger of letting this season end in disappointment and frustration as they remain reluctant to make a new signing this month.
Kalvin Phillips was supposed to be a no-brainer deal for Newcastle, with the England international expected to make an early move from Manchester City.
With fans clamoring for new signings to improve a squad that has been hobbled by long-term injuries for months, January was supposed to be the moment for reinforcements to arrive.
But the trust that initially fueled their interest in Phillips has disappeared.
‘Nothing in the market makes financial sense for Newcastle’
In fact, there is no confidence that Newcastle will sign anyone. As grim as this may seem to fans who are impatiently waiting for help to arrive, they may fail to add players even if they are on loan.
There is currently nothing on the market that makes sense for them in the medium to long term and they are opting to wait until the summer to improve a squad that looks woefully inadequate to finish in the top six again this season.
Injuries have crippled Newcastle – 11 players were missing against Manchester City last weekend and big-money signing Sandro Tonali has also been banned until August. Eddie Howe manages with one hand tied behind his back. It had been there for weeks.
Howe doesn’t have anything game-changing off the bench. There is no midfielder and only 34-year-old winger Matt Ritchie covers the attackers. This has been a recurring story since early December, when Newcastle’s collapse began.
Throughout the 60 minutes Newcastle pose a threat, but as the rubber of the starting 11 they can no longer hurt teams in attack and become vulnerable defensively. Newcastle’s fatigue is being exploited as there are no fresh legs to revive them in the middle or top of the pitch. It also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Newcastle and their fans have been conditioned to expect late pain in matches and it continues to be that way.
Howe’s team could not score a decisive goal after the 64th minute, win or draw throughout the season, but conceded these goals in 10 matches in all competitions. The goal difference in the first 70 minutes was +13, but after conceding the last two goals to Manchester City, this difference became -4 in the last 20 minutes.
It creates tension. Any manager in Howe’s position would want a transfer. He is the man to be judged on results alone, and Newcastle have lost four consecutive games in the Premier League and won two of their last 10 across all competitions.
The thought of no transfers being made is a sobering one and raises the question: have Newcastle effectively written off this season as ineffective? The wounds are too bad, too deep to be a success. They need to take it on the chin.
‘The club can get things back on track in the summer months’
With the Champions League revenue from this season, as well as the new jersey sponsorship agreement with Sela and the lucrative production partnership with Adidas, recruitment teams will be able to get things going in the summer months, when their spending power will increase even more.
They need to stick to the plan and not panic in January when there is no value left in the market. It’s a risky strategy, but you can understand it.
The price they will pay is that European qualification this season may be beyond them. Newcastle dropped to 10th in the rankings. Howe’s side are just three points behind seventh-placed Manchester United and five points behind sixth-placed West Ham.
This season is by no means over. Newcastle remain within striking distance and, on paper, the fixture list becomes much easier after traveling to Aston Villa later this month.
There is a sense of calm at the boardroom level. Howe’s job is not under any threat. They believe their January stance was correct because of their long-term approach. But in football it is always dangerous to let things get worse.
‘Howe has the tools to finish the season strong’
The thought process is this; Injured players will begin to return in early February and as injury issues ease, Howe will have the tools to finish the season strong.
They are also in the fourth round of the FA Cup and will face Fulham at Craven Cottage in less than a fortnight.
But players such as Joe Willock, who has barely played since May, and Harvey Barnes, who has been injured since September, will need time to get up to speed. After being disabled for so long due to complex tendon and foot issues, they can easily develop other problems.
So what happens if there are more injuries at Newcastle in the meantime? Playmaker Bruno Guimaraes was struggling with a tight hamstring strain against City and is also just one yellow card away from a two-game suspension.
Currently Newcastle will have to play a defender like Fabian Schar or Lewis Hall in midfield if they lose another player in that area of the pitch.
Striker Callum Wilson will return from his latest niggle in time for the Villa game but his condition continues to deteriorate and he will be 32 next month.
Newcastle really need to bring in someone this month and are still searching for someone suitable in the market. In fact, it becomes much more difficult to obtain them. The market is slow, they can only hope things ease later in the window. But many of their Premier League rivals are hoping for the same.